TTAG loved it some Kel-Tech Sub-2000. Capt. John Raguso reckoned it was a far better choice for home defense than a shotgun: less recoil, more bullets, wieldy as a pen knife, foldable for bug-out duty, accurate, cheap, lovely! Throw in some frangible ammo to eliminate that pesky over-penetration problem and Bob’s your uncle. I’m getting one in 9mm, which may force me to switch from a Springfield XD-M to a Glock 19 (yes one of those), ’cause the Sub-2000 takes Glock mags. Anyway, the Sub-2000’s a hit. Not a runaway success, but a solid hit. But this, THIS is monster . . .

14+1 rounds from a compact shotgun? As our KSG post viewing stats and Oleg Volk’s fascination [below] prove, the buzz is building for this ballistic bad boy. We’ll make a beeline for it at SHOT. [Click here and here for more KSG gun porn]

About Robert Farago

Robert Farago is the Publisher of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns.

I love the style of the gun, but I don’t like pumps. I could unload 9 rounds out of my semiauto shotgun before he could pump this baby twice. If they can make a semiauto version of this cool looking gun I’ll be one of the first in line to buy it.

If this thing is built with KelTec’s typical low class polymers made in badly finished tools… blah. They need to spend 20% more on their tooling quality to ditch the depressions, flash and surface pitting of their plastics. Perhaps start shooting something like Zytel or another high-spec polymer into that tool to bring their overall product quality up to where it should be.

1- For tactical shooting, a pump is just as effective as a semi-auto. Unlike a handgun or 5.56, there is enough mass being delivered onto the target that there isn’t a huge need for hammer pairs. One round, check the target while cycling the pump, second if necessary.

2- Pumps are wood burning stove reliable. For a company like KelTec (which frankly, has had some questions about their reliability called into question with their pocket pistols), a pump is the way to go. The engineering to get a semi-auto shotgun feeding properly with the huge variance in ammo is non-trivial.

3- Ban states now have a quick excellent option for self defense. I can pick one up and throw it in the trunk when I need to visit The People’s Republic to see family. Hell, I’ll bet KelTec will sell thousands of these things in California.

Given that KelTec is cooking up a new dual-tube feeding system plus a new bulpup configuration, it makes a lot of sense for them to gain experience and traction with the pump first. I am sure they are working on/thinking about a semi.

Those are good reasons, but I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people short stroke a pump action shotgun.

They certainly may be a need to shoot fast. I am shooting until the perp is no longer a threat and that may take more than one round. I know of instances where perps were hit with multiple slugs and kept going.

The short stroke is a downside, but something that is generally one of those problems that CAN be rectified on the range. Bake that muscle memory in with 1000 rounds or so, under time pressure.

I absolutely agree that perps sometimes need another treatment with the 12gauge before they stop. With handguns and rifles, most outfits train to automatically assume that the first round didn’t work and follow up rapidly with a second shot before beginning a target evaluation. With a shotgun however, the sheer force and mass delivered on the target makes “Shoot 1 -> Evaluate” a better strategy. During that evaluation, there is plenty of time to find the fraction of a second it takes to cycle the action.

Don’t forget; the whole reason we have a shotgun is that we are trading some speed (both shot to shot and, more importantly, reload time) for a significant lethality advantage. Given how long it takes and how intricate the handywork of feeding new rounds into the beast is, I would rather save ammo if I can.

I’ve got a Benelli M1 and M1014, so I guess I’ve voted with my wallet as a fan of Italian tactical shotguns.

Having said that, they aren’t exactly a breeding ground of innovation. The Nova pump is essentially a polymer rendition of what the Mossy 500 and Rem 870 have been doing for what, 60 years? The shell hold button is slick (on the Nova), but the lack of accessories kills the platform.

The M1 is a lovely piece of kit, but a reliable combat shotgun it is not. The aluminum receiver is easily damaged, putting the whole system into the can. Put a light, a red dot or any other weighty accessory on it and the system won’t feed anything but full power loads (mine is like this).

The M1014 is a shotgun looking for a problem to solve. In military service, it is relegated to gate guard and some checkpoint duty. What the ground pounders need is a small shotgun for breaching. What they got was a complicated shotgun that can’t feed less than lethal rounds properly, with a LOP that is too long on a receiver that is too delicate (see above).

Will KelTec make a Benelli level of fit and finish? Absolutely not. Is this an innovation the likes of which Benelli has never dreamed of producing? Absolutely!